Clip forming and assembly tool



Feb.5,-1946. WEJLJDE I 1 CLIP FORMING ANDASSEMBLY TOO L Filed Jan. 24, 194.4

INVENTOR.

ATTORN EY.

Patented F eb. 5, 1946 V CLIP FORMING AND ASSEMBLY TOOL Walter E. Jude, Solar Aircraft San Diego, Calif., assignor to Company, corporation of California San Diego, Calif., a

Application January 24, 1944, Serial No. 519,495

4'Claims. (Cl. 153-12) This invention relates to tools for special forming jobs and particularly to a tool for folding a strip or ribbon of metal around a bar element, which bar element may form a portion of a yoke or other similar device.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool that is capable of rapidly bending or forming a strip of material around a bar element.

Other more specific objects and features of the invention will appear from the detailed description to follow of a particular embodiment thereof.

Briefly, the invention comprises a base member having a seat for supporting a strip, with a transverse slot extending across the seat, and a lever member fulcrumed to the base member for swinging movement with respect thereto. 7 The lever member has on one side thereof a work-engaging surface for contacting a bar member laid across the strip immediately above the slot so that movement of the-lever in one direction presses the bar and the strip down into the slot, thereby doubling the strip back around the bar on each side thereof. However, to complete the operation, the two doubled-back, juxtaposed sections of the strip need to be pressed into contact with each other, and this operation is performed in my tool by swinging the lever in the opposite direction, which causes a second surface on the lever to bear against a bolt slidable in the base member and force the bolt against the folded strip to squeeze the two sections thereof together. Thereafter the bolt is restored to normal position by a springwhen the lever is released so that the finished clip can be lifted out of the tool.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tool in accordance with the invention in neutral position with a strip and yoke positioned therein ready for forming;

Fig. 2 is a detailed side elevation with portions in section showing the lever of the tool actuated in one direction to fold the strip about the bar of the yoke member Fig. 3sis a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the lever in the other extreme position to perform the final operation of pressing the two folded back sections of the strip against each other; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a finished yoke and strip assembly after it has been removed from the tool.

Referring to the drawing, my tool comprises as its chief elements a base I and a lever II pivotally secured thereto for swinging movement. Thus the lever I I is of channel shape adjacent its lower end, the two walls of the channel straddling the upper portion of the block Ill and being pivotally secured thereto by a pin I2 which extends through both walls of the lever II and the block Ill.

The block In is adapted to guidably support on its upper surface a work strip I3 which is to be folded about a bar portion I4 of a toggle or yoke member I5. Thus the upper surface of the block is depressed to provide a longitudinal seat only slightlywider than the strip I3 so as to center the latter in desired position. Furthermore, to facilitate longitudinal positioning of the strip I3, an adjustable stop I 6 is provided at the rear end of the recess, this stop I6 being secured to the base II] by a screw I! extending through a slot in the stop I6.

Extending downwardly from the upper surface of the block I!) and substantially perpendicular to the upper edge thereof is a slot I 8 into which the bar It and the strip I3 are pressed by engagement of tips I9 on the lever I I with opposite ends of the bar I4. This operation is illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the lever I I has been swung clockwise as far as it will go to press the bar I4 clear to the bottom of the slot I 8, leaving the two end portions of the strip extending upwardly through the slot parallel to each other.

As shown in Fig. 4, in the finished assembly of the clip and yoke, the two ends of the strip are compacted t ghtly together throughout most of their length,'thereby locking the strip to the yoke so that the assembled parts can be subject to ordinary handling without separating the strip from the yoke. This final operation of pressing the two halves of the strip together is performed by swinging the lever I I in counter-clockwise direction as far as it will go as shown in Fig. 3. This causes a face 20 on the extreme rear end of the lever to engage the rear end of a slide or bolt 2|, which is reciprocal in a channel 22 provided therefor in the block I 0 and force it to the right,

causing its right end to engage the folded strip and press the .two sides of the strip together im mediately above the bar I4 of the yoke as shown in Fig. 3. e

The bolt 2| is enlarged at its right end to form a head 2 which fills the channel 22 so that when the bolt is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 2, the front face 2 I2 is flush with one face of the slot I8 except for the lower corner which is recessed as indicated at 2I3 to receive the bar I4 when the bolt is pressed to the right as shown in Fig. 3.

The main portion of the bolt 2i back of the head 2H is cylindrical in shape and substantially strip element around a bar.

the head 2. Thus, in Fig. 2 the pins 25 lie against the shoulders formed by the head 2| l and on said seat is adapted to in turn support said bar transversely thereacross above said slot, said base member being narrower at said slot than thelengthof said bar; and a lever member pivoted to said base member for swinging motion, said lever having a bifurcate portion adapted to straddle said seat in response to movement of said lever in one direction, the two sections of the bifurcate portions having bar-contacting surfaces thereon for engaging opposite ends of said bar projecting beyondsaid seat, whereby swinging movement of said lever in said one direction prevent the head from being moved any further to the left by the spring 24.

The device may be assembled by firstinserting the bolt 2! into the passage 22 from'the rear end and then pressing the pins 25 into place. Next the helical spring 24 is slipped into place. Then' the collar 26 is slipped over the rear end of the bolt 2| and into the passage 24, and the pin 23 inserted to lock the collar to thebolt 2 I.

w The pin 23 is inserted through an aperture 28 in the block l0, which aperture aligns with the apertures in the bolt 2! and the collar 26 when the latter is correctly positioned on the bolt. The pin 23 is a press-fit in the bolt 2! or the collar 26 so that it remains in position but it is too short to extend into the apertures 28 in the block 10 when it has been pressed home.

In operation, with the lever 'II in the initial position shown in Fig. 1, a strip 13 is laid in the seat provided therefor in the top of the block i and then a yoke I is slipped into place with the bar l4 thereof above the slot 18. This operation can be performed with one hand and as soon as the strip and yoke are placed, the operator can swing the handle H clockwise with the other hand, immediately following this movement with a swing counter-clockwise, after which the handle is restored to the neutral position shown in Fig. 1 which leaves the strap folded around the bar of the yoke as shown in Fig. 4. The operator can then, without releasing the handle] I, remove the-completed assembly and repeat the operation.

Various departures from the exact construction shown can be made without departing from the invention which is to be limited only tothe extent set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A tool'of the type described for folding a element, comprising: a base member havinga seat for supporting said strip element and a transverse slot intermediate the ends of said seat, whereby a strip supported forces said bar down into said slot with the band extending around said bar and back up through said slot.

2. -A tool as described in claim 1 in which said base member has upstanding side and end walls adjacent one end of said seat and on one side of said slot for centering said strip on said seat.

3. A tool' of the type described for folding a strip element around a bar element, comprising: a base member having a seat for supporting said strip element and having a transverse slot intermediate the ends of said seat, whereby a strip on said seat is adapted to support said bar transversely thereacross above said slot; a lever member pivoted to said base member for swinging motion; means on said lever for engaging said bar member and forcing it down into said slot with the band extending around said bar and back up through said slot in response to swinging movement of said lever in one direction; means responsive to swinging movement of said lever in the other direction for squeezing the two sections of said strip together above said barpsaid last means including a bolt slidable in saidbase mem-' ber and having a head normally flush with and forming a portion of one wall of said slot; and means on said lever engageable with the'rear end of said bolt in response to swinging movement of said lever in the other direction.

4. A tool as described in claim 3 in which said bolt has enlarged spaced apart portions slidable in but substantially filling a passage in said base provided therefor, and a reduced portion connect-- ing said enlarged portions, a coil spring surrounding said reduced portion and bearing against the rear enlarged portion, and stop means projecting through said base member and said passage and engaging the front end of said spring, said stop means being in the path of movement of the front enlarged section of said bolt, whereby it limits rearward movement thereof.

WALTER E. JUDE. 

